A Multiverse of Vignettes
by Crystalline618
Summary: When you have a multiverse, there are bound to be some entertaining stories to tell. A series of oneshots, or story ideas that I'd like to see people's reactions to. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Girl Problems

_**I don't own YJ! If I did, it wouldn't have taken as long to come back.**_

* * *

Girl Problems

Dick stared down at his - now her - chest in fright. Where before it was well-muscled and lithe, now it had two fleshy mounds dangling off of it.

Of course, his first reaction to being the opposite gender was to curse "Rahat!" in Romani. He flinched at how much higher and squeakier his voice was.

Next, he calmed himself down a bit. He brought up his holo-computer and typed a message to Bruce. _Come to Batcave now. It's an emergency._

Dick took a deep breath. He looked at the Batcomputer's reflective screen and nearly gasped. His lips were fuller, and his hair framed his face in an elegant - _and way too feminine,_ he adds - pixie cut. He rips off his mask and stares at his eyes. Already, people said they were entranced by his beautiful baby blues, and now, they had the thick eyelashes to match.

Taking in his new appearance - and that was only his face! - he screamed. It was a ghastly, high-pitched noise that had raised a few octaves from when he was still male. And Wally said his voice couldn't get any higher.

"Robin, what is it?" Bruce asked gruffly from behind, causing Dick to swivel around. "...Oh."

"Bruce, what in the world do I do?" Dick could facepalm himself. _Crap, that sounded pathetic._ "I mean, people will be expecting me to go to school tomorrow, and the Team will be wondering-"

"Dick," Bruce cut off. "I have a contingency plan for this. Look up plan one hundred and seventeen."

 _...Wait, what? No reprimand on how I could've avoided the gas by just using my rebreather and getting the civilian out quicker?_

He nodded mutely. He searched it up on the files in the Batcomputer. A single file came up, and Dick chose that file.

 _Contingency Plan for Gender Swap_

 _In the case of a change in Batman's or Robin's genders, call off school/work sick, or claim to be vacationing on private land on a remote island. Have a temporary replacement (Batman or Robin, but in a female persona) join the League or Team while Batman and Robin go "tracking down a dangerous drug dealer from Gotham in Nepal." Below are several voice recordings in case both Batman and Robin are compromised._

Dick skimmed through Batman's female persona - he had to smirk a little at the alias of "Frankie Dixon aka Black Belt" - and went straight to his own.

 _Robin's Female Persona_

 _Red X aka Aishe Sandu_

 _Thick, Romanian accent (if voice hasn't changed drastically as to still be recognizable)_

 _Wears suit powered by xenothium_

Below was a blueprint of a black costume with a silver belt and gauntlets marked with red x's. The cowl was skull-shaped.

Dick gaped. "Bruce," he said, licking his dry lips, "I made this design a long time ago."

Bruce offered a nod, Dick interpreting it as a smile. "Precisely why I used it. It was ingenious. The suit is in a hidden compartment in the space where we store our spares."

Dick grinned. Being a girl wouldn't be that bad as long as he got to teleport while Batman was out finding a cure.

* * *

" _Recognized: Batman 02, Red X B08."_ Dick stepped through the zeta tube, acting confident but actually feeling terrified of what could happen. Hopefully M'gann wouldn't try to read his - _her! I have to remember, her!_ \- mind.

As expected, Wally was the first one to zoom up, mainly because besides himself - herself - he was the least frightened of Batman. Also, super speed, enough said. "Batman!" he greeted jovially. "Got a new mission for us? Also, who's the new girl? I'm liking her." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Dick had to turn away.

 _Nope. Totally not weird that your best bro friend is gonna try and flirt with you. Not at all._ "Best you mind your own business, Kid Flash," she snapped, remembering to apply the thick accent that was only a twinge away from her natural one.

Artemis approached next, smirking at Wally. "Are you serious? Are you going to try and flirt with every female breathing being you come across? I'm glad the newcomer isn't as oblivious as M'gann, she can actually call you out on your bs." She stuck out her hand in Dick's direction. "Artemis. Nice to meet you."

Dick shook it firmly. "Red X. Likewise."

"Powers or no?"

Dick smiled. "No. I do, however, have a xenothium powered suit."

Artemis' eyes widened. "Ooh, black market. Nice."

Bruce cleared his throat. Artemis jumped, having most likely forgotten Batman was in the room. Dick resisted the urge to chuckle. His - her mentor tended to have that effect on people.

"Head to the mission room now, Red X, Artemis. Kid Flash, go gather your other teammates." Wally saluted and ran off, giving Artemis and Dick more time to chat as they leisurely strolled down the hallways.

"So what's your story?" Artemis asked. "Another protege to the Bat? Can you even reveal your secret identity?"

Dick laughed lightly, enjoying for once how different this sounded compared to his usual cackle. "No, I'm a lone hero. On the streets, though I'm a master pickpocket, hacker, and engineer. Name's Aishe. You?"

"Artemis," the archer admitted. "I know, not very original, but no one would think my superhero name was my real name. I mean, Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, so it makes sense."

"Ah." Dick nodded sagely. "Well, if anyone finds out, they didn't hear it from me."

They reached the mission briefing room. The rest of the Team was already gathered there, bar Robin of course.

"Team," Bruce spoke in his usual low and gravelly voice, "Robin and I will be tracking down a Gotham drug dealer in Nepal. However, you need someone with Robin's skills on the Team for your missions, so Red X will take his place. Your mission for today is to figure out your new team dynamic." With a swish of his cape, Bruce left the room.

 _Come on, Bruce! You're really going to let Wally ogle me here?_

* * *

 _ **Whew! And thus starts my oneshot series! Er… two shots? Three shots? Who really knows?**_

 _ **Anyways, I'll continue this/expand upon it if enough people want it to continue. As for how many that is… uh, you could probably melt my heart with "i want MOAR".**_

 _ **So, read and review! Pretty sure that's what it is. Gah, FanFiction has such confusing things to work with…**_


	2. Vacation Plans

_**I don't own YJ! If I did, then… gosh dang it, YJ is pretty much perfect.**_

 _ **Not continuing Girl Problems just yet, I got a strike of inspiration in the middle of the night.**_

 _ **LelaBella52 & Guest: Thanks! Here's your update! **_

* * *

Vacation Plans

"Hey guys," Dick asked casually while hanging upside-down over the couch, "let's say someone who funds the JL - Bruce Wayne, maybe - gives enough money for us to have a vacation anywhere. Where would we go?"

"Vietnam."

"Italy."

The resident speedster and archer of the Team glared at each other. "Vietnam," Artemis ground out. "Ho Chi Minh, Danang, or Phu Quoc, maybe."

"Italy!" Wally protested. "Pizza, pasta, FOOD!"

M'gann joined in with her own thoughts on the matter. "I hear that Paris is quite romantic."

"ITALY!"

"VIETNAM!"

Kaldur cleared his throat, causing the arguing parties to look at him, annoyed. "The Maldives, perhaps?"

"NO!" came the resounding disagreement.

Dick turned to Conner with a raised eyebrow. "Are _you_ going to input your opinion?"

The clone shrugged. "I don't know why we can't just stay in Mount Justice."

Dick stared at Conner, boggled. "The whole point of a vacation is to see new things!"

"Then someplace we've never gone before on a mission. I don't care."

The Romani boy sighed. "Ah well. At least I tried."

He returned to the scene of the argument. Dick was not pleased to hear whines of, "But, _FOOD!_ " (Wally), shouts going "MY CULTURE, YOU DISRESPECTFUL IDIOT!" (Artemis), quiet, "But on TV…" notes from M'gann, and Kaldur trying to resolve the situation by offering up locations near oceans.

"Guys." The quarrel carried on. "GUYS!" There was really no end in sight. Dick grabbed a button from his utility belt and pushed it. A recording of Dinah's Canary Cry played, and everyone stopped their squabbling immediately.

A wry smile played out on Dick's lips. "Why can't we just spend a week at each location? We stay in Ho Chi Minh for a week, Paris for a week, Italy for a week, and Maldives… well, you get the idea."

Kaldur started to nod in agreement, when Wally replied with an outburst of, "But Italy has more food!"

"ARE YOU ACTUALLY KIDDING ME?!"

"Um, if I may, Hawaii-"

"I could DIE, harpy!"

"GOOD FOR YOU!"

Dick pressed his fingers to his nose. _And so it continues._

"You realize this is a hypothetical situation, right?" he asked rhetorically, but even he couldn't hear his own voice over all the screaming.

"Europe," he said finally, leaving the room via zeta tube.

* * *

At the Watchtower, various senior heroes were snickering at Robin's unnoticed entrance. The Team just proceeded to fight some more, with Superboy leaning against the wall engrossed with the static on the TV screen.

Batman groaned when he stumbled upon the _supposedly older and more mature_ heroes spying on their younger counterparts. Even more so when they began taking sides.

"Wally is right, why can't they see that?" Flash complained. "Food is essential for life, thus go places where they have food!"

"I'm not even going to question how Robin has my Canary Cry on tape," Black Canary muttered. "Otherwise, it would most likely be best for the Team to follow up with Artemis' decision, it would provide a good learning experience."

Aquaman frowned. "What about all the sea life they could help if they went with Kaldur'ahm's choice? Kaldur'ahm _is_ their leader, is he not?"

Green Lantern - Hal, that is - disagreed. "I think they should go out and see the world at it's finest. I could even fly them there!"

The other Green Lantern - John Stewart - gestured to Superboy. "He seems unbiased, perhaps they should let him choose?"

Superman floated back as the group began arguing like the Team members they were watching. "Did no one hear Robin's idea?"

Batman gave Superman a look that said, 'Don't be an idiot, Kent.' "No. Where do you think the children got their stupidity from?"

"Batman, that's not nice," Robin interrupted, walking up to his mentor. "I just don't think anyone's feeling the aster today, that's all."

Batman's lips twitched upwards slightly as Superman flew backwards, having not noticed the Boy Wonder approaching. "Probably."

* * *

 _ **Yeah, okay, this is a little short. But I was thinking about in drama where my friend had a role where "But FOOD!" was her reasoning for arguing for Italy (it was super in character for her), and I thought 'Wow, she and KF would get along', and this plot bunny was born.**_

 _ **As for the places Artemis listed, well, my family is Vietnamese, so we head over there a lot. Phu Quoc is beautiful, just saying.**_

 _ **Please read and review!**_


	3. The Justice Games (crack)

**I don't own YJ! If I did, then it wouldn't have been canceled. *coughs and glares pointedly at Cartoon Network***

 **Warning, this entire bit is crack**

* * *

Robin cackled and cartwheeled into the living room, declaring his entrance.

Wally mockingly scowled. "Dude! Try and enter a room like a normal person for once!"

"No can do, KF," Robin cheekily replied, saluting anyways. "Where'd Zee, Kaldur, and Rocket go?"

"Girls day out," Artemis called from lounging lazily on the couch. "If you're wondering, I didn't feel like going and M'gann would rather be here with Conner 'fixing the bikes'. Kaldur's swimming. Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Robin nonchalantly dismissed. "Just a Hunger Games simulator I found online." He pulled up the site on his holo-computer.

Both archer and speedster were up in a second, super speed or not. They crowded around the glowing blue screen. Identical smirks were growing on the trio's faces.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Wally rhetorically asked.

Artemis grinned. "If you're thinking that we should input Team and Justice League members in here, then yes, we're thinking the same thing."

"Great!" Robin gave a thumbs up with his free hand. "'Cause I've already input the names."

"No way!"

"Lemme see!"

They wrestled with each other to see what Robin put in there. "What if Batman dies by tripping or something equally stupid?" Artemis realized, snickering to herself.

"Why'd you think I put him in there?" Robin wryly commented.

"C'mon, c'mon! Let the Hunger Games begin already!" Wally whined, jumping impatiently.

Dramatically, Robin's finger hovered over the button that would begin the simulator. "Geez, calm down Wally. And…" he paused, "...may the odds be ever in your favor." He pressed down on the button.

The three of them scanned the information spread on the screen. "Oh man!" Wally gasped, laughing too hard to breathe. "You and Green Arrow - ha!"

The screen read, _Robin and Green Arrow threaten a double suicide. It fails and they die._

"No, look!" Artemis exclaimed, also out of breath, pointing to a line a below it.

 _Batman, Superman, and Miss Martian get into a fight. Miss Martian triumphantly kills them both._

"Oh, ha ha," Robin muttered darkly. He nudged Wally's shoulder. "Your mentor's a wimp."

 _Wonder Woman and Flash fight for a bag. Flash gives up and retreats._

"Are you serious? Losing to Wonder Woman without her killing me would be an honor," Wally sighed, fantasizing.

Artemis tugged his ear, making him yelp. "No hormones allowed! We have a kid with us!"

In spite of Robin's protests _that he was not a kid, he was thirteen, thank you very much_ , he clicked proceed. The three groaned simultaneously.

"No deaths," Robin announced, downtrodden. He continued regardless. To his surprise, it showed the fallen, leading to Artemis and Wally bursting out in laughter again at how Robin, Batman, and Superman all died. He considered giving both of them a black eye.

The Boy Wonder sighed and resumed the simulator. He read the third line first, suddenly wishing he hadn't. To his sides, Wally and Artemis sucked in a breath, notifying him that they saw it too.

 _Black Canary convinces Aquaman to snuggle with her._

"Ew, mental images," Artemis whispered, and both of the senior heroes - by field experience, of course. Artemis was never going to let Robin live down being that much younger than her - were inclined to agree.

"Well!" Robin announced, his faux cheer slowly turning into genuine mirth. "Both Flash and Kid Flash were idiots and lost their fights! Still survived, but whatever."

Wally turned to give Robin the stink eye. "Double suicide with Green Arrow."

"We will never speak of either incident again."

Meanwhile, Artemis pressed the button to simulate the next set of situations. "Aaaaaaand Flash died!" she declared. "Oh, look at this, Kid Flash's camp was raided!"

"Are you fricking serious?!" Wally complained. "Worst luck!"

"Think about that statement very carefully, KF," Robin warned, cracking his knuckles. The simulation carried on, showing fallen tributes.

"Wait, Zee died?!" He went back a few pages. In bold, it said Zatanna had died trying to escape the arena, directly above the Black Canary and Aquaman snuggling bit. Robin flushed and returned to the page they were at.

"Someone's a bad boyfriend!" Wally crowed.

Artemis jabbed him in the ribs. "Not like you're much better."

"I detest that statement! It's absolutely false, I'm an _amazing_ boyfriend."

The two normal humans of the Team looked at each other and scoffed. "Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night," Robin said, disbelieving. He clicked the 'proceed' button.

The trio instantly blocked the vision. "I need brain bleach!" Robin moaned.

 _Martian Manhunter convinces Wonder Woman to snuggle with him._ And of course, above that was, _Superboy and Red Tornado huddle for warmth_ , though the 'huddle' was initially mistaken for 'cuddle.'

"Um-uh-hmm, Artemisdied," Wally spilled out in a rush, pointedly keeping his line of sight away from the top of the screen.

"Hehe, yeah, WAIT WHAT?!" Artemis shrieked. "No way Baywatch is the last of us three!" Robin also quietly cursed to himself.

Wally huffed. "No one believed in me? I'm offended."

"Yeah well, Artemis would handle herself better in this situation," Robin defended.

Proceeding with the sim for the next fifteen minutes, they finally arrived at the end. Red Tornado won, leaving them all gaping.

"I _begged_ to die?!" Wally whined.

"We've been hearing you talk about this for the past two minutes," Robin snapped. "I find it more ironic that Aquaman drowned."

"And wow, Red Tornado is a savage," Artemis commented, with the sentences of Red Tornado slicing off people's heads and drowning them, finally having to spear Hawkwoman in the abdomen.

They moved on to the statistics. "Holy crap, Uncle Hal has eight kills!" Wally exclaimed as Robin and Artemis stared at the screen, dumbfounded.

"Why am I placed last?" Robin wailed. "Green Arrow, Superman, and Batman died the same time I did!"

"He got _fifth_ ," Artemis seethed. "Wally got _fifth_."

The archer and acrobat turned to the speedster, manic grins on their faces. "Uh…" Wally gulped. "I gotta run…"

"Run and run as fast as you can, we'll always find you, we have Batman," Robin promised ominously.

A slightly-less-than-murderous glint in both of their eyes, Robin and Artemis nodded to each other.

"We're coming for you!" Artemis yelled.

A scream could be heard in the distance. Robin and Artemis took off, vowing to torture the speedster.

(Of course, torture in two very different ways. Artemis, being more violently minded, decided to bruise a few of his ribs, but Robin just wanted to tie him up for a few hours and tantalizingly eat Agent A's cookies in front of him. Later, they would decide to do both, much to Wally's horror.)

* * *

 **Yup. Crack. I told you so. Fun fact, the situations that popped up are what actually happened in the simulation I did.**

 **You know, I was reading through my past chapters and started banging my head on the table. They were awful. Ugh. Add that to my writer's block, and you have a very unhappy me.**

 **Ah well. At least I got this out. Gosh, I hate writer's block.**


	4. It's On Me

**Beware, I did not mean for this to become such a tear fest. Also obligatory: I don't own YJ. I'm pretty sure some moments are OOC, so no, I don't own it. (I really, really wish I did though)**

* * *

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly," Dick lightly sang under his breath as he cartwheeled by. "Falalalalalalalala!"

"'Tis the season to be jolly!" Wally joined in, horribly out of tune.

"Falalalalalalalala!" M'gann descended with what looked to be gingerbread cookies. Dick smelled the aroma coming off of it and he was thankful M'gann didn't burn the cookies anymore. "Don we now our gay apparel!"

Zatanna teleported in. "Falalalalalalalala!" she sang, grinning. Dick stifled a cackle and counted down. _Three, two, one…_

"All of you SHUT UP!" Artemis demanded, storming in. _Huh, thought it would be Conner._

Wally raced over Artemis' side. "Why, Arty? Do you not want to join in the Christmas spirit? We wish you a-"

"BE QUIET!" the archer screeched. "I don't like Christmas."

"What? Why?" Zatanna asked.

M'gann was confused. "But isn't Christmas on Earth a time to be happy?"

Wally took a sharp breath. "Nobody doesn't like Christmas, Arty! Gifts and food and snow and-"

"I. Don't," Artemis gritted out. Unlike the others, Dick could understand her situation - he doubted growing up with Sportsmaster would've made Christmases and winter in general particularly fun - and felt a measure of sympathy towards her. "You know what? I'll just head back." She began stomping off to the zeta beams.

Before he knew it, Dick was running to his teammate, leaving just in time to hear, "Conner kindly requests you to keep it down, he has sensitive ears," from Aunt Dinah. He punched in the coordinates of the Gotham zeta beam and disappeared in a flash of light.

When he rematerialized, Dick shoved the door open and slammed it shut with just as much force. He could spot the lone figure of the emerald archer of the Team trekking down the path. "Artemis, wait!"

She whirled around and her eyes skirted around in a panic. "I-uh- I'm visiting my cousin again for Christmas."

"Hey, I'm cool with that," he dismissed. "But you didn't seem like you were whelmed back there. Need someone to talk to?"

"If I wanted a therapist, I'd go to Black Canary," she said, curling up her hands into fists.

Dick laughed. "Never said you had to talk about feelings. Just talk."

"Wally's an idiot," she said simply and bluntly. "Can I go now?"

"Go whenever," Dick offered, his hands gesturing to the sidewalk. Artemis started to leave, then stopped herself, her fists clenching and unclenching. For about a minute, the cycle continued. She would make a move, then step back.

Finally, she decided. "I don't like Christmas."

The edges of Dick's lips curved upwards. "Yes, I believe you mentioned that. Care to elaborate?"

"Christmas reminds me of a lot of bad memories," Artemis amended. "I don't have the… best parents." Subconsciously, Artemis shivered and Dick wondered if it was from cold or from a memory.

"Hey," he said, "don't worry about it. Pretty sure we all have parent issues. Supey's is obvious, Kaldur's father figure is his king, and Zatara is way too overprotective."

Artemis snorted. "I bet you don't have issues. Your dad is the Dark Knight, the pinnacle of human perfection."

"Physical human perfection," Dick corrected. "He still has a long way to go emotionally. And besides, he's not my dad." _Not legally. Not genetically._ Dick shuddered as he envisioned his parents' bones cracking against the floor.

"He's not?" the green-clad teenager repeated, startled. "I thought-"

"Everyone thinks that," Dick jested. "They always think wrong. Just, don't tell Batman I told you, 'kay?"

Artemis had a faint smile. "You have my word."

"Anything else?" Dick prodded. Maybe Artemis would finally trust him enough-

"I don't think so."

The Boy Wonder nodded, though disappointed. "I know a great cafe near here. Hot cocoa's on me."

Artemis laughed. _Whew. Thought she would never._ "Sure. Just let me text my mom, let her know I'll be a little late." The archer whipped out her phone and pulled up a conversation. Respectfully, Dick looked away. "Done." She put her mobile device back in her quiver. "We're going in civvies, right?"

"Nope!" Dick cheerfully replied, much to Artemis' bewilderment. "This is a hero-friendly cafe."

"Huh," she remarked to herself.

As they walked out of the alley, Dick wanted to add one more note. "And Arty?"

"Yeah?"

"We can start making new memories. You, me, the Team, even the League." Dick's eyes softened. "I know what it's like having a fresh start. Don't let the past haunt you so much."

Artemis stared at him, eyes wide. "Okay," she breathlessly whispered.

Dick beamed. "Then come on!" He grabbed her arm childishly and pulled her in the direction of the cafe. "Let's go!"

* * *

There was a Christmas party for the Team. It was made tradition to have one every year, and with their new members, the party was livelier and wilder than ever. Dick leaned against the wall, in Nightwing garb. He liked to observe. Not only that, as the team leader, he needed to keep track of his teammates' relations to one another, he also enjoyed looking on at the bonds formed.

Tim and Cassie were awkwardly standing near the lunch table, making an attempt to converse. Dick smirked. _Ten bucks say they get together next year_ , he could hear himself saying. It was sweet, how his new little brother was integrating himself into the team dynamic. Blue Beetle was also a fairly new recruit. He seemed to get along well enough with Beast Boy, despite the age difference.

Conner was sitting alone, hands violently shoved into his pockets. He was glaring at La'gaan and M'gann cuddling, the Martian feeding tiny cupcakes to the Atlantean. He sighed. The original team had become so estranged in the past five years.

When Conner and M'gann broke up, they weren't on the best terms with each other, and hadn't recovered since. M'gann grew more hasty, reckless. Conner's temper died down, but he tended to stay unnoticeable in the background. Zatanna and Raquel joined the League, and that was the end of it. Kaldur was still off spying on the Light for Dick. He felt guilt and regret everyday that it couldn't be him, but Kaldur _was_ more suited for this mission. This mission that wouldn't even allow the former Aqualad a chance to grieve.

Dick felt the weight of having to keep up the charade, of having to lead. He'd become the Team's Batman, giving out missions but staying out of them for the most part. Every time they went against Kaldur in the field, he was one word away from spilling the secret. From admitting that Kaldur wasn't evil, that they should hold back.

But he stopped himself, for the sake of the mission.

Wally and Artemis were most likely having a peaceful celebration either in Palo Alto with college friends or in Central City with the Wests and Allens. Their quitting of the hero life had taken its toll on his and Wally's relationship. Their conversations were strained whenever anything to do with Nightwing, Batman, or the Team was brought up. He was glad Artemis was able to find happiness in Wally, though. She deserved a good Christmas.

Dick recalled the first Christmas fondly, all those years ago. The Team was slowly but surely coming together. It was just the six of them at first. The six of them with a bond they thought was unbreakable.

 _We thought wrong_ , Dick mused bitterly, noting the similarity to a semi-joke told to Artemis that afternoon.

Tim had just finished whatever he was saying to Cassie, and stumbled away with a blush. Dick grinned. "You look flustered there, Baby Bird," Dick said, elbowing the newest Robin.

"I, uh…" Tim didn't trip over his words often, but it was adorable when he did.

"If you love her, go get her," Dick suggested, teasingly. _After all, you never know how much time is left._

* * *

Dick sobbed, openly, in Artemis' apartment. It used to be Artemis and Wally's apartment, but Wally… Dick cried harder. He couldn't be bothered to take off his mask, all he could do was grieve. Tears streaked down his cheek.

His last words to Wally were those of contempt. Berating him for, what? Not liking the loss of Mount Justice? _I was so stupid._ He had said Wally just missed the souvenirs, implied that his best friend was that petty. Little did he know that Wally would go on to sacrifice his life for the good of the world.

"Dick," Artemis said softly, her voice raw. The Team and League had flocked to her, comforted her in her time of need. And that was fine, she deserved it. Artemis hadn't done anything wrong. She hadn't caused Wally's death. Bruce was notably exempt from his own, nonexistent pity party. Dick didn't blame him. His plan had failed in all the worst ways.

"I'm so sorry," he blubbered. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't come up with the stupid-"

"Shh." Artemis embraced him. "It was the Reach's fault, the Light's fault, the villains' fault. You can't be blamed for coming up with a plan to deal with it. I'm not sure how we would've saved the day without you."

"But I- Now Wally's-" He choked, melting further into the hug.

Artemis stroked his ebony locks in a sisterly fashion. "I know. But you know what he would've wanted? To not break ourselves into pieces with the guilt. So let's remember him, but… make new memories, okay? I'm on the Team again. We can have a fresh start."

"'Kay," Dick mumbled, fearing that if he said anymore, he would burst into tears.

Artemis stood up. "Hot cocoa? It's on me."

Dick wiped his eyes. He couldn't help but remember when the roles were reversed, when it was him comforting Artemis. When it was him giving this advice, the advice being thrown back at him. "Hot cocoa sounds good. Thanks Arty."

Artemis smiled. "Anytime, Dick."

* * *

 **My heart broke while I wrote this. (I broke it again while seeing the double meaning of the title I chose) I swear, I don't do sad things well at all. Gah. Also, apologies for not updating in a while. I moved and had to join a completely new school, climate (fact: before now, I've only lived on islands that are pretty much smack dab on the equator), etc. I'll try to be consistent with my updates, but I'm also working on another story. (Who's ready for some Talon!Dick?) At the very least, this one isn't crack.**

 **Merry Christmas everyone!**


	5. Girl Problems Part 2

**Heh, nope, this did not take me months to come back to. No way. Just saying, the pronouns are super inconsistent, but while writing, I like to keep it in a character's perspective, so it's a wonder that Dick is able to remember 'she' pronouns at all! I'm trying to make so that Dick slips back into 'he' when he/she does self-reflecting.**

 **I don't own YJ!**

* * *

Dick growled. "Bats, come back here! You _do not-!"_ He-she knew it was pointless. Bruce was trying to help, in his own unique way. _I swear, if this all goes downhill, I'm blaming you._ She huffed, pouting and crossing her arms.

"Wally," Artemis warned, "do not tick this girl off. She can be worse than me, pretty sure. As your teammate, I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to not want you to die." Dick smirked.

"Don't worry, babe," Wally said, zooming over to her side. "I can be very nice."

Dick shoved her best friend away. He was being a colossal idiot. She could see why Artemis hated him so much. "I think there was supposed to be a flirt in there, so shove off, pervert."

The acrobat noticed Conner narrow his eyes. _Hmm._ "Don't," the clone forced out and walked away.

"That was… strange," Dick said to Artemis. Artemis was officially his- her new best bud.

Artemis paused in thought. "Well, no offense, you're small. I think Superboy - Conner - over there wants to protect you." _That makes sense_ , she conceded, though it didn't stop the spike of anger that rushed through her. _I can handle myself._

M'gann hesitantly floated up to hi- _her!_ "Hello there," she introduced. "I'm Miss Martian, and my Martian name is M'gann, but you can call me an Earth name, Megan. Don't mind Conner and Wally. Wally does that to most girls and Conner isn't really… the best with speaking."

Dick held out her hand. She suppressed certain thoughts. "Yeah, I got that," Dick bluntly replied. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Aishe."

"Do you have any powers?" M'gann asked, shaking the outstretched hand firmly.

"Nah," Dick answered. "Not really my thing. But-" She pressed a button on her suit and reappeared behind M'gann. "My suit is a beautiful weapon."

The Martian's eyes widened. "Wow, that was amazing. How did you-?"

"Xenothium. It's an energy source that lets me work in cool features like that," Aishe elaborated, remembering that M'gann probably didn't know what xenothium was.

M'gann cleared her throat and smiled. "Well, welcome to the Team."

"Thanks." _Don't think, don't think…_

"Well, I'll see you later?" A timer rang. "My cookies!" She flew away quickly. Dick prayed they wouldn't be burnt.

Dick mentally sighed in relief. It was difficult, having to make sure she- he- she mentally referred to herself correctly, in case M'gann was listening in.

Kaldur approached her. "Hello. My name is Kaldur'ahm. I am an Atlantean."

"Nice gills," she remarked and grinned. She could say to her teammates things she normally wouldn't as Robin! Yes!

"I, uh, thank you?" Kaldur looked confused. _Operation: Troll the Team is a go._

She put a finger on her chin, a classic thinking position. "You're pretty cute, Saltwater." She turned her back. Inside, she was thinking, _Blegh, this is my team leader and friend that I have no romantic interest in._ Outwardly, she was trying not to cackle at the perplexed and panicked expression Kaldur held.

Strutting away, Artemis whispered, "Kaldur? Are you asking Kaldur out?"

"No." Dick rolled her eyes. "I just met the dude, my standards aren't that low. Just messing with him."

The archer laughed. "Batman chose a good replacement. You can act just like Robin."

"Compliment or insult?" she asked, genuinely wondering what Robin acted like in her teammate's eyes.

Artemis pursed her lips. "Compliment, I guess. I like the guy, and we could be great friends, but he hangs out with Wally most of the time. It's not even his identity, I have my secrets too, but I'm not willing to start another argument with Baywatch just so I can interact with the Bat's partner. Besides, if he picked up any trait of his mentor's, I bet he'd be a little standoffish."

Dick was surprised. Had he missed out on a chance to bond with his teammates because of the amount of time he devoted to Wally? He didn't think that they did that much together. And 'standoffish'? "Hmm, I'll keep that in mind."

"So," Artemis said, reaching her room, "we don't have any missions today. Do you want to team up?"

"Team up as in pranks galore? Yes, please!" Dick spun around, covering him- herself in shadow. "BOO!"

Artemis yelped. "Don't scare me like that. It's creepy - Batman and Robin can disappear like that, and now you?"

Dick shrugged. "You have to learn how to survive in Crime Alley," she fibbed, making up an excuse for her lack of impulse control. "And I very rarely get a moment to rest. I have my fun when I can. I trust you understand?"

"...Yes," Artemis muttered quietly. "I understand perfectly." Dick sobered up. Artemis' heritage… What if, instead of using this opportunity to fool around, he could help out his teammates? They were reluctant to admit anything to Aunt Dinah, but a temporary newcomer? What if they opened up?

Dick purposefully chose to ignore the foreboding in the remark for now. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Have been since birth." They high fived and split up.

* * *

"To kill or keep?" Dick wondered, staring at the bound Wally glaring at the both of them. It wasn't really a question, but she had to keep in character. "Mmm, keep. Keep sounds fun."

Artemis chuckled ominously. "Oh, do I have ideas for this."

"As do I." Dick ripped off the gag. "Wally, why do you hate Artemis so much?"

The archer and speedster turned to look at her, surprised. Not what they were expecting at all. "I, uh, she's an annoying harpy," Wally replied, flustered.

"Care to elaborate?"

"She's been out for me since the moment we laid eyes on each other. Enemies at first sight." Wally scowled. "She keeps arguing, that bi-"

"I'm still here," Artemis remarked, leaning against a wall.

Dick smirked. "And why do you hate him so much?"

"He's, he's an idiot! Baywatch is someone who is just so stupid and frustrating." Artemis was tensing up. "Like when he flirts with you and M'gann! It's- ugh, he's terrible."

"Is that it, both of you?"

Wally glowered. "I could find more synonyms for annoying harpy."

"Ditto, but with incessant, pervert chatterbox."

Dick crossed her arms. "Then that's it. Have fun being locked in here for an hour!" She teleported the heck outta there and hacked into the systems with her silver gauntlets.

" _Room is on lockdown."_

"And now I wait." She hoped this would work. If not, he had just gotten two teammates ticked off at each other and with her.

* * *

Dick was jumping around in the rafters to pass the time. She sang under her breath a bit. "Say what you need to say. You say, you will not let your fear get in the way…" Artemis and Wally actually seemed to be softening up. She was praying that the ice would be completely broken soon.

She heard heavy footsteps. Supers were never the stealthiest heroes. "That's not safe, you need to get down," Conner called.

Dick scowled. "I'm fine."

"It's too high."

She spread out her fingers and pushed a button on her wrist. This caused a grapple hook to shoot out and wrap itself on the beam. Using that, she lowered herself down with more caution than she would normally use as Robin. "Satisfied?" Conner grunted. "I'm not helpless, y'know."

"You're small, human, vulnerable-"

"And a girl," Dick finished. "That was what you were going to say, wasn't it? I'm not a maiden in need of defending, Superboy, I'm trained. I can handle myself easily."

Conner's eyes still judged Dick's shorter stature (she was so going to put Poison Ivy in a body cast). "But-"

"But nothing," Dick cut off harshly. "You don't treat Robin like this, right?"

"But Robin's Batman's protege."

Dick snarled. "You don't need to be Batman's protege to do any good in the world." Was that seriously all he counted for? "You don't need Bat training to be good. You don't need speed, flight, invulnerability, telepathy, you just need the will to get. It. Done."

Conner looked at Dick wryly. "You- you and Robin. You're both so tiny. If I wasn't careful, I could crush you."

"But you won't," Dick said firmly. How did he- she get into another one of these? "You won't lose control."

"How do you know?"

Dick jabbed her finger into Conner's chest. "Sure, you're strong, but you don't want to hurt anyone. If you want it, you can do it. You want to not hurt anyone? Focus on control and finesse exercises. I recommend juggling."

"Sounds like you have experience," Conner remarked.

Dick snorted. "Me? Please. All I do is control my body so I can bend it certain ways and sneak up on people, control my suit so I can use all these things, and control code so I can hack. Yeah, I _totally_ don't have experience with controlling anything."

"...I can work on the juggling."

Dick stuck her thumb up. "Nice, Supey."

* * *

A waft of freshly baked chocolate smell made its way to Dick's nose. "Mmmm…" M'gann had made cookies earlier, but brownies as well? That presumably weren't burnt? She cartwheeled to the kitchen, mainly following her nose.

As expected, M'gann was there, with oven mitts and frantically blowing. Dick grinned. "Whatcha got there? Brownies?"

M'gann spun around. "Aishe! Hi. Yes, these are brownies." She shrugged. "I wanted to try something that's not cookies for once. But-" she hissed, "-they're very hot. And sticky."

Dick laughed. "Yeah, brownies can be that way. Very sticky. Can I try?"

"O-oh, sure!" M'gann exclaimed, surprised. "But…"

"But?"

M'gann looked sheepish. "I usually burn the cookies. No one but Wally eat those. And Wally just wants to get my attention."

Dick projected a small, reassuring feeling, knowing that M'gann would catch that more easily than facial expressions. _Wait._ With a start, she realized she had not taken off her skull-shaped helmet. "I'd love to try the brownies," Dick said, tossing her helmet off in one smooth motion. "I'm sure they're not that bad."

M'gann scrunched her nose. "I don't know. But are you okay?"

"...Yeah," Dick said reluctantly, suspiciously. "Why?"

The Martian's smile returned full force. "I'm not accusing you or anything, your emotions just seem… off."

 _What?_ "Off?" She made a small show of sniffing the brownie's scent. "Mmm… we can discuss this later. I gotta try this."

M'gann levitated a spoon over to her, and Dick stuck the spoon into the fudge-like brownie greedily. She ate it with a smile. "S' weawwy good!" she said, mouth full and sticking her thumbs up.

M'gann's smile suddenly seemed a bit more genuine. "Really? You think so?"

"Yeah! And trust me," Dick said, spooning another mouthful, "I don't hand out compliments easily."

"Thank you," the baker said, sweetly, sincerely. "I really appreciate it." She squealed. "I got a recipe right!" She cheered and whooped, doing flips in the air. Dick looked at her longingly, though also with a sense of pride.

On the logical, tactical, _Batman_ side of him, he thought this would be good for overall team morale. M'gann was a cheerleader, in more ways than one. Having her happier would likely improve the mood of his teammates. His more emotional side… well, let's suffice to say that he was definitely getting kids one day. Or, if not, pester Bruce to adopt another orphan.

* * *

One hour was almost up. Dick leaned her ear close to the door and noticed the bickering was quiet, joking even. _It worked. A bit unconventional, but it worked._

"Red X?"

 _Rahat._ That rumbling baritone was definitely the voice of their leader, and Dick didn't know how he'd react to this. She plastered a smile on her face. "Yes, Kaldur? Also, call me Aishe."

"Aishe." There it was, a bit strained. Had Kaldur figured out what was going on already? Wait… Right, she'd messed around with him.

"You know I was joking with the whole 'cute' thing, right?" she blurted. "Because-"

Kaldur interrupted. "Yes, I understand that now." Kaldur's lips turned upwards. "It was quite the humorous jest." _Phew._ "If I may ask though… why are you standing in front of this door?"

Lie? Truth? Well, to them, she was the new girl on the team… so she'd have to do truth. Darn. "Wally and Artemis are… bonding in there."

The Atlanteans eyebrow shot up in surprise - well, if she was being honest, not that far, but it was a change from his usual expression nonetheless. "How did you get them to stay in there?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Imayormaynothavelockedtheminthere."

"Aishe," Kaldur said, Dick bracing herself for the reprimand, "thank you."

Dick's eyes felt like they were bulging out of her skull. "What? Seriously?"

"They would have never made the effort to get along otherwise," Kaldur explained. _Well, he's not wrong._ "Their bickering slows down the mission often. I believe even M'gann was getting frustrated with it. So if this works, the Team owes you a great debt."

"Please," Dick scoffed, trying to take her attention off the 'owes a great debt' part of the mini-speech, "I just did what anyone would do after a while."

"That may be, but none of us did," Kaldur pointed out. "I should have used force when I realized Wally and Artemis were not going to cooperate. I did not, as you can see."

Dick pursed her lips. "But you had other pressing matters, right? You come from Atlantis - family issues? Lost love?" Kaldur's brief wince told her that she was right.

"I am the leader of the Team, Aishe. It is my responsibility to ensure that Team relations are working." He sighed. "You have not been on this team for even a day, and yet, your actions prove you to be wise beyond your years. I am merely a placeholder until Robin is mature enough to take on the mantle."

"That's not true!" she protested. _How did I never notice that Kaldur thought this way?_ "I'm sure you're a great leader! That, that - what's the word? - introspection is the _mark_ of a good one! Do you think someone who was a terrible leader would ever look back on their mistakes?"

Kaldur chuckled. "As I had said: you are wise beyond your years. Thank you for the comfort."

Dick grinned. "Always happy to be of service."

She unlocked the room. " _Room is off lockdown."_

Wally - obviously - burst out first, soon accompanied by a pissed off archer. "Why the _hell_ , Aishe?!" she said, glaring. Dick noticed her hands were curled up into fists.

"You two needed to learn to get along," she stated bluntly. "Wally may be annoying, but even I can tell your arguing is distracting. And it worked, didn't it?"

Artemis and Wally… glared wouldn't be an appropriate word for this, cast scathing looks? Cast scathing looks at each other, then softened them. "It did," they mumbled.

"Told ya." Dick grinned. _Success._

Bruce's voice came over the intercom. " _Team, report to the mission room immediately."_

* * *

 ***deep sigh* Oi… (And no, I'm not British or Australian, I just used to go to an international school and picked it up) I will say it: I don't like this chapter. It feels rushed and cheesy to me, and goodness knows I'm not a Kaldur or M'gann writer. Conner was only slightly easier. The Wally and Artemis thing… *another deep sigh***

 **Sorry it's taken me a while to update. From the one or two followers I have, I've been told to update quicker, but… life gets in the way. School is not going great, home is not going great… I've barely found time to write.**

 **To that one guy who commented something like, "YES! TALON!DICK!" I would like to inform you that it will be an entirely different story, not on this one. But who knows? I might someday.**

 **Please R &R!**


	6. AU Ideas 1

**This is where the 'story ideas I want to test out' part of my summary comes in. Please tell me if you want me to write any of these, and with enough time, I probably will!**

 **And remember kiddos (why would I say that, I'm only 8th grade), I don't own YJ!**

* * *

Divergent AU

Dick, wrapped in his willowy gray cardigan and cursing his short stature, stepped forward.

"What?" one of the Candor transfers sneered. "If the _Stiff_ going to jump first?" He believed Wally said that guy was Jackson, a regular jerk.

"It so happens that I am," he replied tersely. On the ledge, he made the mistake of peering down. There was a hole in the concrete. His eyes widened, remembering how his parents fell to their deaths.

 _Calm. Deep breaths. There must be a net or something at the bottom._ Shakily, Dick took off his cardigan and balled it up, his arms feeling exposed. He squinted and tossed it at Jackson. When the other initiates started laughing, he sucked in a breath, and jumped off the ledge.

For a moment, it was just wind and _I'm going to die_ repeated as a mantra in his mind. Then, his skin pressed sharply into something rough. Ropes? Net. Right. Dick, wincing from the sudden pain, sat up and slid off the net, a hand guiding him. When he looked up, the hand belonged to a blonde girl that couldn't be much older than him, staring at him strangely.

"What's your name?" she asked. He paused. Did he want to use Dick? Dick, haunted by death? Plain old Abnegation Dick? "It's okay, take your time," she said. "Think it through." Like she was familiar with it.

Wasn't there a nickname his mother used to call him? _I know you can fly, my little robin,_ she whispered to him before bed when he was young. "Robin. Robin," he repeated, cementing the name in his mind.

The girl smiled. "First jumper: Robin!"

Big Hero 6 AU

Wally glanced at his little brother Dick, then at the burning building in front of him. A woman came running out. "Hey," he said, holding her shoulders, "it's okay. Is anyone still in there?"

Her eyes widened in panic. She cried, "Wilson's still in there!" and ran off.

The flames didn't stop licking at the building. Wally withered at the thought of anyone, especially the beloved mentor to many, perishing inside there. Dick noticed the look on his face. "Wally, no!" He tugged on Wally's dark red jacket. "You'll _die_ in there!"

"I-" He melted at his brother's pleading face. But Wilson… "Wilson could also die in there, Dick. Someone has to help."

And with that, Wally ran, his gray cap falling off. He didn't have the time to pick it up. He just had to get in there and rescue Wilson in time. Then everything would be alright, and everyone would be safe.

Tigress AU

"Stop," Kid Flash said, zooming in front of her. "Give those, uh-" he looked to Robin, who mouthed something, "-vials back."

Artemis growled. "Back off. Finder's keepers, hero." She was cornered. Kid Flash would reach her before she went through the main entrance. Usually, she would toss a flare and some explosives to make a hole - to hell with property damage, she was a villain - but the other sidekicks surrounded every side. Robin had his trigger finger on a batarang, Superboy guarded a wall, she knew Miss Martian was somewhere hovering overhead, and Aqualad was holding his water bearers threateningly.

And - who could forget this boisterous hero - Kid Flash was directly in front of her, the position that would get her caught the quickest if she moved.

"If you make a move," she warned, still scanning the situation to see if there was any way out, "I'm dropping these vials."

She didn't even know what the vials did. Her father had just ordered her to for the Light.

"Hold your fire," Aqualad commanded. Nothing changed, but at least there was less risk of her dying by mental blast, vibrating hand to the heart, water lances, fists, or shuriken.

She started backing away. "Tigress-" Kid Flash started.

Artemis reached for her dagger. "I _said-"_

"Not a move, I know. But," the speedster continued, annoyingly, "only my mouth is running, and you let Aqualad, so…"

She snarled. "Be quiet, you obnoxious, motormouth-"

She was interrupted. _I wish, I wish, I wish I could kill you right now. I might just. Grrrr…_

"And y'know, this is kinda a douchey move you're making, Tigger." Her fists clenched. "Can I call you Tigger? Tigress sounds too serious and you look like you need something silly-"

" _Shut up,"_ she hissed, completely ready to toss the dagger into the hero's heart.

Kid Flash smirked. "Hmm, nah. Betcha haven't noticed that mini-bomb-thingy next to you that's about to explode!"

 _Crap._ Artemis looked to her left, then right. Indeed, there was a miniscule explosive ticking. She cursed, very audibly. She must be slipping. Screw the vials. She had to get out.

She only managed a half-step when she felt the unbearable heat against her back, crashing her against the wall. Luckily, her armor protected her bones and her skin - oh my God, if she got third-degree burns, Sportsmaster would kill her himself - but she still slumped down, black sporadically swimming through her vision.

The kiddie heroes were discussing her, though she could barely hear it. Artemis struggled, tried to stay conscious, but with one last choke, her eyes closed.

Zatanna/Klarion Role Swap

Klarion narrowed his eyes at Zatanna, the Witch-Girl. She was cackling madly about something or other, ominous golden runes spreading out on the ground. " _Robin, she's your ex. Ideas?"_

Robin held in his groan - Klarion smirked. He needed to let out that chaotic energy sometime - and replied, " _Well, magic's more your field. But… I might recognize this a little, can't recall at the moment though."_

" _I believe we need to stall her until Zatara comes,"_ Kaldur advised.

" _Good idea,"_ Artemis chimed. " _Though at this rate…"_ Zatanna's runes looked near completed. " _We're probably doomed."_

Klarion fired a magic bolt at Zatanna. She dodged, though Klarion just kept spewing out bolts. " _Don't think like that,"_ he reprimanded. " _It's difficult enough fighting her as it is."_

" _CRAP!"_ Wally screamed into the mindlink.

" _KF, what's wrong?"_ Robin asked worriedly. Pain and concern simultaneously filtered into the link.

Klarion squinted, having hit Zatanna once by lightning strike. She would need to pause to heal herself. Wally was on the border of the runes, it looked like, from the opposite side, and clutching his side. " _He touched the runes."_

" _Nice going, Baywatch!"_ Artemis sarcastically remarked. " _Who's on Flash Boy rescuing duty?"_

The Lord of Chaos sighed. " _I'll go."_ He created a portal, grabbed Wally quickly, and tossed him on the ground. Magic or not, Klarion was no strongman by any means.

"Y'know," Zatanna shouted, "I'm not sure if having a psychic conversation without me is cool or rude!" She smirked and murmured a spell. " _Maybe I should join."_

M'gann cut off the link immediately.

Klarion spotted Robin sorta nearby and saluted. They had a plan for this. He teleported behind Zatanna and roundhouse kicked her ( _thank you, Black Canary)_. She yelped.

"ETAVITCA!"

His vision became the same as his eyes - black that reached into the depths of your soul…

Vamps and Weres AU

Dick cried out in pain. His teeth - his baby teeth that only just started falling out - were growing longer… sharper… He collapsed when two incisors poked their way through.

The noises hit him first. He'd always enjoyed the roaring applause of a good crowd, but hearing just about everything in the vicinity _hurt._ The smells… _ew_ , he could smell the blood that was running down his neck. His breathing hitched.

He was _starving._ He hadn't eaten since… since… _the deaths._ He needed-needed-needed…

 _Blood._

Dick's eyes flashed red, and he went out to hunt.

* * *

Wally swore he probably just crapped his pants. The experiment, the lightning, the chemicals…

They ran through his veins, burning and bubbling. Already, Wally could feel the change.

Would Uncle Barry be proud of him, for successfully recreating that incident that made Uncle Barry a synthetic werewolf? Would he be Wally's alpha? At least, that was what he read about wolves in a book sometime ago. Would _were_ wolves be different.

Agh. _Pain._ His bones cracked. Wally started hyperventilating. _Is this supposed to happen?_ Canines formed, glistening like the full moon outside.

 _The moon is full…_

Wally howled, partly in pain, partly because of instinct. When did it get windy outside? He salivated at the thought of running free, the winds rustling his fur - fur? He turned around. His fur was a brilliant gold, claws red. A warm reverse of Uncle Barry's palette.

Before he knew it, Wally was outdoors, repeatedly howling at the moon. He tore off out of the backyard, looking for fresh, rich pine forests…

Genderbent Team (TEAM ONLY) AU

Bruce sighed, settling back into his chair. The Team was slowly becoming more tight-knit, more experienced, and more formidable. Aqualass was the best choice for leader, however controversial that might be if ever introduced to the media.

Recently, though, he had sent them on a mission in Bialya, and they returned with reports of six-month memory loss. Easily cured by Mister Martian **(AN: I'm kinda toying with this name, the other could possibly be Martian Jr., but I'm not sure)** when they all found each other, of course, but…

As Dixie so often enjoyed reminding him, just because some heroes were women didn't mean they were less capable or more fragile, but… He sighed again. He was probably being overprotective of his little bird again, like he so often was.

"Bruce?" Dixie asked, leaning in the doorway. Bruce was startled, but didn't show it.

"Yes, Dixie?"

Her voice was steel and her lips a thin line when she responded, "You're doing it again, aren't you?" His ward could see right through him, so even a Batman gambit lie wouldn't work. She asked this question frequently - because, he admitted to himself, he did do this quite frequently - so 'what are you talking about?' wouldn't work.

"Dixie, you know I'm only looking out for you-"

"I don't need looking out for, damnit!" Bruce stared. Dixie had never snapped at him before. "And neither does Walli or Kalah! Heck, you've even started babying Supergirl!" Was that true? He looked back on his encounters with the clone, and her father.

" _Clark, this girl needs a father. It's a dangerous world out there, and-"_

He cringed. Maybe he had begun to coddle the female members of the Team a bit.

"Okay, you're right," Bruce said, folding his hands on the desk.

"And- wait, what?" The look on Dixie's face was laughable.

He smirked inwardly. "I said you're right," he explained. "I shouldn't be overprotecting you girls, because really, you are the most competent on the Team."

Dixie seemed stunned. She walked to his chair and wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks, Dad," she whispered.

Bruce glowed. And not 'Brucie Wayne' glowed, but he was legitimately glowing. "No problem, chum."

When Dixie strode back out, problem resolved, he heard her saying, "Success, Walli. Success. Now time to do it to Roy."

He smiled.

College AU **(AN: I don't have a clue where I'd go with this one)**

"We're roommates?" Wally asked, pleasantly surprised, when he saw his favorite little midget- well, not such a midget anymore. Dick had filled out his form nicely, his shoulders wider, though he was still lithe.

Dick looked around the plain white room. "Apparently. Geez, if Roy went to this college, then we could really call it a day…" Wally pursed his lips, thinking if he had seen the grumpy redhead anywhere on campus.

"Don't think I've seen him," he finally concluded, "but I'm keeping my eyes out." Dick 'hmmed' in response. Wally's stomach grumbled. "Ugh… I think I saw a Big Belly Burger near here, wanna come with?"

His best friend scrunched his nose. "Alfred would _kill_ me for eating there… Let's do it."

They ran into Roy over there. Of course. Plus some new ward Oliver Queen took in, a girl this time. Artemis. Wally scowled. She was an annoying blonde harpy or something whose sole purpose in life was to mock him…

* * *

 **Hey, a new chapter within a week of the previous one! I haven't done that since I started this story! (Ah, poor naive me, thinking I could publish a chapter everyday. How some people do 8000 words a week - ready for publishing words - is beyond me)**

 **Anyways, like it says up there, if you (should I say guys that sounds like I have more than three followers on this story) want any of these ideas as even a oneshot, please express that in a review.**

 **I came up with that Zatanna and Klarion role swap on the spot, and now it's probably my most developed idea… Oi…**

 **Please read and review!**


	7. Freedom

**I don't own YJ!**

* * *

Freedom was a strange thing, Artemis mused, looking at herself in the mirror. It was the sole thing America preached, the reason her mom's predecessors (ancestors didn't sound quite right; it wasn't _that_ long ago) decided to immigrate here all those years ago. And where did that get Artemis?

She huffed. Paula Nguyen might have just moved to another country, giving up her freedom through villainy.

Artemis practiced a few stares in the mirror. Emotions weren't so easily learned in the Crock family. Her first day of college had to be a success, a step towards a brighter future, none of that heroes and villains _dơ bẩn_.

She held up a green scrunchie. Her blonde hair fell down longer than her shoulders, rarely even let down. She started tying her hair up into its usual low ponytail, but she strung a strand a bit too tight.

"Ow!" Artemis yelped, shaking her head to get rid of the carefully tight hair.

 _Freedom._ The thought returned to her again like a boomerang. Despite being an American citizen, she hadn't been truly free the early years of her life. Her father… her fists clenched. _Sportsmaster_ had, had pushed her to her limit, every single _làm tình_ day. Her past would forever be shadowed by his constant… abuse.

" _Baby girl, you disappoint me. CROCKS do NOT get TIRED. Again, or else…"_

The next years… Artemis smiled fleetingly. The next years were some of the best in her life. She'd never thought she'd find comfort in a sweet Martian, a best friend in the Boy Wonder - or Dick Grayson, for that matter - and not the least finding love in the Fastest Boy Alive. The rush of attacking, swooping in to see the dumbfounded looks on goons' faces…

" _You're not the only one with a backup bow."_

But she was never truly free there either. The first couple months, twisted with solitude and secrets and lies… They came together. They added more people. The Team was her family. And still, the second Robin died, none of them able to save him or stop their breakdowns. Then Tula. Garth quit, Kaldur joined Manta… where did it end? The dizzying paths of even being a part, a pawn in the heroes v. villains game.

So she and Wally quit. Their love was too new, too fresh, for either of them to die anytime soon. They couldn't shoulder the burdens, the deaths, the pain, the lies that came with being a hero anymore. They would face the real world together.

Artemis attempted to put her hair in a ponytail again, then released, _relinquished_ her hold. She was done being trapped. This was a new step.

Shaking her hair out, she grinned cockily. College was a new opportunity, another chance.

She was free.

* * *

 **Yeah, okay, I was working on other things, but then I had to do community service and my mom weasled me into tying my hair tight - which I haven't done in a year - and it didn't feel right. So I wrote this. It's… I dunno. It's my contribution to the less than 500-word drabbles out there. Tell me how you feel about it.**

 **dơ bẩn = sh*t**

 **làm tình = f*cking**

 **Please read and review! (Also, constructive feedback. Please. Just 'cause I'm in middle school doesn't mean I want to be told that my writing's "amazing for my age." I want to be told that maybe my thought processes could use more improvement, maybe I could've worked out the ending a little more and stuff like that)**


End file.
